Midnight Shadows
by Hiding in the mist
Summary: When two orphans come to the village of Copyr, they meet the one man they never expected to see in their lifetime. Vampire Hunter D. How will their paths collide and possibly merge? That in itself is for fate to decide.
1. Chapter One: Finding

Disclaimer: I do not own D, Left Hand, or any other of the wonderful creations of Hideyuki Kikuchi. Chris and Judith are mine though, and I hope you enjoy them. I'm glad they were finally able to surface in a story.

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Light dances across the ground, followed by the crackling and snapping coming from the blazing wood. It had been burning for hours, fueled by the tress that lay in that part of the Northern Frontier. If one looked in that direction from a couple miles off, they would undoubtedly witness what some would consider hell on earth. The blaze consumed nearly everything it touched, both the living and non. However, if the storm-clouds above would grace them, rain was sure to come soon enough, and to those who lived there, hopefully would extinguish the flames eating away at their homes.

Less than a mile off from the advancing flames, two figures sat astride their exhausted horses, which were soaked to the skin with sweat, as well as being streaked with ash. Their riders weren't much better off. Breathing hoarse, and looking like they were about to fall off, the riders looked horrid. The young man sitting on the larger horse steadied himself and looked to his companion with a worried gaze. The girl, dark hair sticking to her face in areas and her ponytail loose, stared back at him, her hazel eyes filled with fear and exhaustion, but also the slightest amount of hope.

Staying where they were for only a few minutes more, they urged their steeds on. Their mounts galloped off as quickly as they could; as if the very devil himself was chasing them; to the nearest village, sides heaving with effort for each breath that they took. They were nearing their limit, seeing as they were mere flesh and blood, weaker than the cyborg horses which sold for a much higher price than old, worn down, regular horses. Much too much for a poor farming family like theirs.

After a half-hour of riding, they were far enough from the blaze to relax. Dismounting, they pulled out their canteens that were strapped to the saddlebags, still full. Opening them, they each poured half into the mouths of their horses. That would have to do until they reached the village. Luckily for them, it wasn't too far off, but they had to hurry. If the young man's guess was correct, nightfall wasn't too far off, and they both knew that there was one of the Nobility ruling over the area, not to mention the "Children of the Night" that served them. Getting back onto their mounts rather quickly, they travelled the last few miles to the village of Copyr. Ignoring the looks people gave their dirty faces and horses as they entered the village, they dismounted again. Wiping her ash streaked face, the girl addressed one of the villagers; a middle-aged man.

"Excuse me Sir, but may I ask for directions to the nearest Inn? Preferably one with a stable too..." She added the last bit rather hurriedly, noticing the state that the horses were in.

The man stared at her for a moment, then shrugged. "There's only a single Inn in this village, miss. It has a stable, though its a mite worn down."

He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand, unsure of what to say next. "I'm Joseph Marks, and I can see you've had a hard time. If you don't mind, I'll take you there."

The girl smiled slightly and bowed her head in consent. "That would be nice. Thank you."

Together, the girl and young man followed Joseph, leading their horses on foot. Withing minutes, they came to an old looking building, with a stable off to the side. He led the pair there first. There was no-one there aside from a black cyborg horse that looked at them only as they came in, not making a sound. It was obviously either well trained or it didn't care. Putting their horses into separate stalls that didn't appear to be in terrible condition, they watered the horses down and put some hay in for them with Joseph's help. They quickly left after, taking one last look at the other horse as they left.

Taking them inside the Inn, the man walked up to the front desk, and to their surprise, stepped behind the counter. "Rooms are quite pricey to some, but for you kids, I think I'll make an exception. Twenty dallas a night, and that includes feed an board for your horses. Though for such a price, you're going to need to help me out a bit around here," He grinned as he said this.

"Though first," he continued. "I'd like to know your names. You see, knowing someone's name makes me feel as if I can trust them."

The pair seemed unsurprised. However, instead of the girl, it was the young man who relied. "Mr. Marks, I'm Christopher Tyrel. With me is my younger sister Judith. As you can probably tell, we're on our own. We lost our parents a few months back and we had no choice but to sell our farm."

Joseph nodded, eyes sad and yet satisfied. Writing up a receipt, he gave them they key to their room in exchange for the amount he had generously offered them. "Down that hall, third door to the right," he announced cheerfully as he pointed them in the right direction.

Leaving Joseph, Christopher and Judith headed down the hall, not paying attention as they almost bumped into someone as he was leaving his room. The only reason they hadn't bumped into him was due to the fact that the man swerved off to the side, obviously with no effort whatsoever.

Looking up, Judith blushed, rather embarrassed. Her brother pulled her out of the way and gazed at the stranger. He was tall, and garbed in a skintight suit and cloak, all black as the deepest darkness. To them, it seemed to suit the figure of the man. A glowing blue pendant hung from his neck, and a gorgeously ornate sheath with an equally gorgeous blade strapped to his back. Dark hair framed his face along with a wide-brimmed traveler's hat. All this however, meant nothing compared to the man's face.

Pale, gorgeous, dark sad eyes, a perfect nose and mouth that would leave any artist lost for words. Judith had never seen someone like this. So beautiful.... she thought. As he walked off without a word, the siblings watched him, eyes wide. The moment he left their line of sight, Christopher nudged his sister in the direction of their room.

Turning the key in the lock, they pushed the door open. In one corner of the room, there was another door that undoubtedly led to the bathroom. Two beds were also in the room, much to their relief. They had no problem sharing a bed, but from time to time it was nice to have one all to yourself. Beside each bed was a small table. Setting their bags down, Christopher sighed and looked at his sister. "You go fist sis. Don't argue with me, alright?"

Upon saying this, he shoved her in the bathroom, then stood by the window, gazing out at the stable. He noticed the gorgeous stranger once again, getting onto the cyborg horse they had seen earlier. Within seconds, the horse and rider galloped off at an extremely fast pace.

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^^; Wow… first chapter done. Originally the first chapter was much longer, but I decided to make it into several chapters. I don't want to bore you all with my horrible writing.


	2. Chapter Two: Curiosity

Disclaimer: I don't own D or Left Hand.

Sorry for the VERY late update. I swear I won't do that ever again.

2. Curiosity

Judith took no time whatsoever to enjoy the feeling of the comforting hot water running down her skin, and hurried, making her shower last only a few short minutes. Shutting off the water, she then stepped out and wrapped herself in a towel that had been resting near the small, worn-down sink. Grabbing the clothes that she had tossed onto the floor earlier, she then stepped out of the bathroom, allowing Chris to have his time.

Closing the curtains in the room, noticing as she did so that it was darker out. Sighing, she dressed quickly into clean clothes from her bag, then sat down on one of the beds, the towel now on the floor by her feet.

Unlike his sister, Christopher had taken a change of clothing in with him, so when he emerged from the bathroom, he was wearing a baggy long-sleeved white shirt and dark pants. The clothes he had previously been wearing were held in his right hand, and he deposited them on top of his bag. Without the ash covering him, his dark-blond hair was a little more obvious, as were his eyes. Hazel, just like his younger sister's.

Without saying a word, he exited the room, and after a moment of staring at the open door a little confused, Judith hurried to follow him, making sure to close the door behind her once she had left the room. She caught up to him by the front desk, where Joseph was there. He greeted the two siblings with a kind smile. "Nice to see you kids got cleaned up."

Christopher sighed. "Hey, do you mind if we ask you something?"

The older man hesitated for the slightest moment, and then nodded.

"Who was that man who was leaving once we got here?"

"Him? Not that I think you will, but you don't want to mess with him. That one, he's a Hunter. Not just any old plain Hunter either…"

"A Vampire Hunter?" Judith cut in, eyes gleaming with wonder that was tinged with the slightest bit of fear. Christopher, although older than his sister, seemed to share the same idea, though he didn't voice it like her.

Joseph chuckled. "Yup, he's a genuine Hunter of the Nobility. That's not all though. You see, he's not like you and me. If the rumors are true, he's one of them dhampirs. Not what I personally would call good company, and I know that plenty of other folks would think the same. But since he ain't done me no harm personally, I'm fine with him staying in my place while he's doing his job. Like I could keep him out anyway, seeing as how I owed his employer a favor and all."

Christopher hesitated, and gulped. "So then, is it-"

"Is it him? Well, if we're talking about the same damn man, then yes. That there, that was the man who goes by the name D, in the flesh. Exactly the same, if not better looking than the rumors say."

"What's he doing here though? This place seems peaceful enough. I thought that the Noble ruling over this area didn't—"

"That's nothing for you to be concerned about now kids. Now, run along now to the pub and get yourselves something to eat before curfew. No-one is ever out after ten at night, so you have until a little before then."

Without waiting for a reply, he pushed then outside and closed the door behind them. Together, the siblings stood for a few minutes, looking at each other rather confusedly. Christopher then sighed, grabbing Judith's hand as he did so. "We better listen to him. Come on."

Pulling her away from the Inn, he led her to the main street of the village, and headed to what seemed to be the most crowded building. It was the pub of course, and they entered hurriedly, happy to be free of the slight unease they had felt outside. It had felt almost like they were being watched.

The pub itself was full of people who seemed to be enjoying themselves, emerged in their drinks as much as they were. Not a single person turned to look at the pair as they came in and hurried to reach a table in the back, that was placed near a window. They sat down, and put their heads together, whispering to one another in voices so low anyone would be hard-pressed to hear them.

"Okay, I think we can talk here without being overheard," Christopher grumbled, knowing full well that he was right. It was terribly loud, and several of the men were already horribly drunk.

"what I really want to know is whats really going on in here. Its obvious that Mr. Marks was hiding something at the end, right before he shoved us out in that rude manner."

Judith nodded slightly, then froze as a woman who appeared to be in her late twenties walked up to them, carrying a tray. "What'll ya have?" she growled, not even looking at them.

"Just two meals please. Also, some water would be nice." Christopher stated, smiling politely. As the woman left to get their order, his smile turned into a scowl and he turned to look out the window. After a moment, a sincere grin spread across his face.

"Look outside sis."

Judith turned to the window, and noticed that rain was falling. She sighed, relieved. "Good. That fire obviously won't be reaching here now."

Christopher nodded. "Indeed. But now, lets get back to what we were going to talk about previously. Truthfully, I can't help but feel as if that the Noble in this area has returned to preying on this town's inhabitants. Just look around. Wouldn't you agree that the way they're acting is a little odd? Also…"

The woman had returned at that moment with their order, and sat it on the table. She stood there expectantly, while Christopher sighed and reached into his pocket, pulling out several coins which he handed to her. Seemingly satisfied, she left the two to their meal of beef and potatoes.

Fiddling with his fork, Christopher continued. "Some of the women. The ones that keep to themselves. Some of them have scarves around their necks."

"But that might just be a coincidence!" Judith exclaimed.

"Then why would someone go off and hire D?"

"You know that I know nothing about him Chris. Nothing at all, and yet you seem to know so much.."

Christopher sighed., and lowered his voice, leaning in even closer to Judith. "Like Mr. Marks said, D is a dhampir, and has been a Vampire Hunter for who knows how long. If the rumors I've heard are true, his skill with a blade has never been matched, and he can block a laser-beam like its nothing. He keeps to himself, and when he finishes the job, he moves on. That's the kind of man he is."

Saying no more, the siblings ate. When they finished, they sat in silence, watching some of the others in the room that had emptied somewhat. One man in particular caught their interest. He was a balding older gentleman, and he was sitting alone at a table, seeming to wait for someone. After several minutes, the door of the pub opened, sending a chill into the room. It wasn't just from the cold weather outside, but also from the man who had just come in, water dripping off the brim of his travelers hat and coat. A numbing aura that seemed to penetrate to even the deepest recesses of the soul lurked about him. Not a single person spoke, or even moved for that matter as they watched him walk over to the old man. Sitting down in the chair that had its back to the wall, he said something in a low tone, and listened silently to something the old man was saying.

People had begun talking to one another again, but the atmosphere in the room was nothing like what it had been before. It was almost like the people were trying to gain some feelings of ease back by distracting themselves with talk.

"Well, look who it is." Christopher mumbled, looking at Judith after a moment of staring at D.

"Wonder if that's his employer."

"Could be. Who knows though."

"I think it is. Why else would he be talking to someone, if what you said is true?"

Christopher didn't reply. His gaze had returned to the Hunter, who had just stood up and was heading towards the door. Judith noticed a moment later, and after exchanging a glance with one another the siblings stood and followed the Hunter out, though at a slow and wary pace.

It was still raining outside, and mud squelched unpleasantly under their feet. Within moments, they were soaked to the skin. A trivial matter though, compared to that which the pair was currently concerned with. Judith wanted to know more about D, and Christopher just wasn't about to let his sister follow the Hunter around on her own. He knew that the dhampir probably knew he was being followed, so that made the young man a bit more wary than he'd be ordinarily.

Oblivious to her brother's thoughts, Judith blinked water out of her eyes and noticed the Hunter, on his horse and riding off back towards the Inn. Judith exchanged a look with Christopher, and then followed after D, trudging along through the mud. The pair paused by the general store minutes later, and after Judith gave an almost longing look, they entered the store. For now, learning about the Hunter would have to wait.

With some of the money that they had left, the pair bought the basic traveling supplies that they'd run low on, and then after a though, Christopher purchased a hunting knife, a pistol with a supply of shells, and a slightly curved sword. The sword itself had seen some use in the past, but from what Christopher could tell, it would be serviceable for some time.

Laden down with their goods, the siblings left the store and trudged through the mud and rain back to the Inn, where Joseph was waiting for them. "Ya'll planning on leaving soon?"

Christopher nodded. "Yes, we have to keep going until we've seen the frontier. I'll help out around here tomorrow, but the next day we'll be leaving. Thanks for all your hospitality." Judith nodded in agreement under her load.

Joseph frowned. "Very well."

Not saying another word, he let the siblings in and closed the door.


	3. Chapter Three: Departure

Chapter Three

Disclaimer: I do not own D or Left Hand. Hideyuki Kikuchi is their amazing creator.

Not so late of an update, though I'm planning to update every week(give or take a day) from now on.

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Chapter Three: Departure

As the moon shone in through the window of the room, the dark silhouette of the Hunter listed in silence as Joseph ushered the young siblings into their room and then went to his own after pausing for a moment. He was wary of the Hunter, and he had no issue with showing it at the moment- most likely because he assumed that D wouldn't know. That was one thing about dhampirs—they knew to the very core of their souls that humans would hate them, distrust them, and some would even attack them more often than not. D had lived long, and had experienced such over his travels. There were always those rare humans though that would simply be curious about dhampirs. They rarely appeared though, and if they did, the other humans in the village would try to keep them away.

The siblings- Christopher and Judith- had no real connection to Copyr, and due to that most of the villagers wouldn't care if something happened to them- a death of two migrants wouldn't be seen as a tragedy in the society.

D sat in silence for a time, seemingly in though until a hoarse voice spoke up from his left hand. "Those two kids, I can't help but to think of them as trouble. Unneeded trouble. I think we should leave soon—its not like we're going to find any more information about the Noble's whereabouts here."

It was met with silence, so the voice continued. "Besides, I doubt the Noble would attack here again. She wouldn't be that stupid, given the way things have gone so far. Three children killed already from her kisses, and one dying. These villagers want her head, and they won't rest until they have it. If you weren't a Hunter that they hired, they would have long since tried to take your life."

"She's moved on to another town. We'll close in on where she is tomorrow," D replied, eyes shut.

"You don't really believe what that old coot told you, do you? He probably had brain fever, and smelled disgusting. Obviously hadn't bathed in a long time. Why would you listen to someone like that?"

"…"

"Oh I see how it its. Won't talk to me anymore? You know, sometimes it really sucks having to be around you all the time. Why can't we have an actual conversation for once?" The hand rambled on for a while more until he gave up trying to make the Hunter speak.

The scrabbling noise of boots against a windowsill was heard, and the hand chuckled. "Darn kids."

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"Judith."

"Judith."

"Judith, would you get up already before I have to do something I'll regret?"

The young girl opened her eyes slowly and groaned as she saw her brother leaning over her, a big grin plastered across his face. "Whaaaa?" She asked, sitting up. "Its late, and want to sleep."

Christopher shook his head. "We're not staying here. I feel bad about breaking my promise to Joseph, but there has been something about him that I don't trust." Fumbling around in the dark, he grabbed a bundle of clothes and handed it to his sister. "Get changed, and then we'll be leaving."

She took the clothes from him, and grudgingly complied with his request, while thinking of various ways to get back at him. Christopher put on his pack filled with supplies while waiting and stood in silence. When she finished changing, she tossed her nightshirt into her bag and grabbing that and the supplies she was responsible for, stood. "Okay already. Lets go."

Together, they went out through the window, and as Judith started heading to the stable, Christopher grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"But the horses!" she whispered.

Her brother shook his head. "They have new owners now. While you were sleeping, I went out and pulled some strings. Guess you could say we upgraded. They're not the greatest quality of cyborg horses, but they're still more durable than what we had."

Judith glared at him. "Just where are these new horses then?"

Christopher winked at her, and chuckled a bit as he lead her to the outskirts of town and to a very shabby looking garage of sorts. There, a very irritated young man stood, holding the reins of two cyborg horses. The saddles were the ones from their previous horses- much to Judith's relief.

The young man glared at Christopher, obviously quite angry. "It took you long enough. I swear, I would have denied you these if you'd showed up a few minutes later."

"Ah, sorry about that. My kid sister was irritated with me for disrupting her beauty sleep."

"By the look of it, you've denied someone else their sleep," Judith growled at her brother.

"Hey, it was the only way I could get these. Don't complain!"

"I can complain if I want! I didn't ask for these!"

"You know what? You really need to shut up and listen sometimes."

"Excuse me—if you two are done, can you take your horses and leave? And please, be quiet about it. You're going to cause a ruckus sooner or later." The young man growled, and handed Christopher the reins of the horses before storming off.

"Oops-" the siblings said in unison before turning to the horses. Judith took the one that had her previous horse's saddle, and Christopher did the same.

"Well, now that we have our horses, I think we should be on our way. I hear the town to the north has a view of the ocean of all things. What would you think of that?"

Judith's eyes gleamed with excitement. "The ocean? Like what Ma used to tell us about?"

"I think so. What else could it be, if not that? I think its worth a look." Christopher grinned, and when his sister nodded in excitement he led the way to the north. Together they rode side by side, leaving behind Copyr.

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Thanks for the reviews and favorites. I swear, I'm working on making my writing better.


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